Snyk CEO bails, wants someone with more AI experience to replace him
- Reference: 1771564045
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2026/02/20/snyk_ceo_stands_down/
- Source link:
“This is a deeply emotional decision. I love this business, I hold this team dear, and my conviction in our mission has never been higher,” CEO Peter McKay wrote on Thursday. “But after much contemplation—and with the full support of our Board—I believe the right path forward for Snyk’s next decade is to bring in a leader with deep roots in product innovation and AI.”
McKay pointed to his achievements as CEO – winning 4,800 customers and $325 million in annual revenue – and the company’s “monumental pivot to become the leader in AI-native security.”
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He suggested those successes beg the question of why he thinks it’s time to leave.
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“The answer is simple: The opportunity ahead of us is even greater than what’s behind us,” he wrote. “Snyk is entering ‘Part Two’ – an era of hyper-intensive AI innovation. This next chapter requires a visionary, AI-immersed leader ready to commit their full energy to a multi-year journey of technical disruption.”
And presumably somebody who is happy playing buzzword bingo.
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McKay used another buzzword – “resilience” – to describe Snyk.
“My goal has always been to create an organization so strong that it can thrive beyond any one individual, including me,” he wrote. “For the long-term success of our customers and shareholders, the right thing to do is to find a successor who lives and breathes the technical frontier of this new era.”
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McKay said he intends to remain “a significant shareholder and Snyk’s #1 cheerleader.”
No pressure for the new leader, then, given their efforts will determine McKay’s net worth.
The outgoing boss said he will remain “fully engaged” until his replacement starts work.
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Few CEOs leave at a time of their choosing, without having a new job lined up already, or after admitting they’re no longer right for the job. McKay’s exit is therefore unusually clean. ®
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[4] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/03/enrique_lores_exits_hp/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2023/11/21/optus_ceo_quits/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/19/kakao_ceo_resigns_datacenter_fire/
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[1] https://forums.theregister.com/forum/all/2026/02/20/jio_ai_plans_india_summit/#c_5232655
"an era of hyper-intensive AI innovation"
He, like Belshazzar, has seen the writing on the wall while not exactly " mene, mene, tekel, parsin " and deciding that discretion is the better part of valour is preparing to bail out with his suitcase of readies before the engines catch fire.
Maybe they will hire me...
...I'm by far old enough to be a CEO, I am very disruptive (Especially my bladder. Comes with the grey beard.), and I know buzzwords from multiple decades! I bet all I'd have to do is train an AI solely on American politicians' campaign speeches over the last 65 years and I wouldn't even need to actually join one of those Zoomer calls.